A LOW TIME PLT DEPARTED MVFR FOR A FLT THROUGH AREAS OF FORECAST DECREASED CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES. HE RETURNED TO HIS DEP ARPT.

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1 HR BEFORE THE FLT; I CALLED THE LCL FSS FOR A PREFLT WX AND NOTAM BRIEFING; AS I ALWAYS DO. THE WX BRIEFER RPTED 4 MI VISIBILITY IN MIST WITH A BROKEN LAYER AT 1500 FT. THE BRIEFER ALSO RPTED; HOWEVER; THAT THE WX WAS LIKELY TO IMPROVE WITHIN THE HR; AND THAT I COULD EXPECT CLOUD LAYERS 1700-2300 FT; ALONG THE RTE OF FLT. A FEW MINS BEFORE DEP; I CALLED BACK THE FSS FOR MORE ACCURATE INFO. THE DIFFERENT BRIEFER RPTED A 300 FT OVCST LAYER. I DECIDED TO FLY AN ALTERNATE RTE TO AVOID THE IFR WX. ACTING ON THE PREDICATION OF THE PREVIOUS BRIEFER; THAT WX HAD AND WOULD CONTINUE TO IMPROVE; I DECIDED TO TAKE OFF. AFTER TKOF; I ENCOUNTERED AN 1800 FT CLOUD LAYER; AND DECIDED TO CONTINUE ON; LOOKING FOR A BREAK IN THE CLOUDS. I ALSO CONTACTED APCH FOR VFR FLT FOLLOWING; AFTER WHICH I WAS INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN 1700 FT VFR. WHEN I ASKED FOR ANY WX RPTS; THE CTLR RPTED BACK WITH PIREPS INDICATING IFR WX. THE CTLR ALSO RPTED A 300 FT CLOUD LAYER. I CONTINUED ALONG THE RTE LOOKING FOR A BREAK IN THE CLOUDS; AFTER WHICH I DECIDED TO TURN BACK. FLYING IN AND OUT OF CLOUDS AND STRUGGLING TO MAINTAIN VFR; I RETURNED; WHILE A MALFUNCTIONING ELT AND MOMENTARY LOSS OF RADAR CONTACT ADDED TO THE TENSION OF THE SIT. I LANDED IN VFR VISIBILITY. UNDERSTANDING MY MISTAKE TO TAKE OFF IN MVFR CONDITIONS; I HAVE DECIDED TO RAISE MY PERSONAL WX MINIMUMS TO WELL ABOVE MVFR CONDITIONS; EVEN IF A BRIEFER PREDICTS AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE WX; IN ORDER TO PREVENT THIS SIT FROM EVER HAPPENING AGAIN.